Following a dark, divisive sophomore season, Mr. Robot season 3 on the horizon. The new season will see Rami Malek’s Elliot attempting to regain control of his life after being manipulated by both internal and external forces in ways he didn’t fully understand.

The story of a mentally unstable cybersecurity hacker, Elliot Alderson, who spends his free time plotting the downfall of the corporate world, Mr. Robot’s initial season broke new ground for cable network USA. The polarizing second season left off with Elliot suffering from a gunshot wound at the hands of Tyrell Wellick, a co-conspirator who had planned a violent demonstration of power with Elliot’s alternate personality, Mr. Robot (Christian Slater).

While Elliot’s fate was left somewhat ambiguous, series creator Sam Esmail promises it won’t be a plot point the show lingers on for long. In an interview with EW, Esmail assures viewers Elliot survives his injuries.

USA Network

Esmail also explains that this season will see Elliot attempting to reclaim control of his life from those who have been manipulating him.

“Season 3 is about Elliot trying to bounce back and fight against the people who have been using him. Elliot isn’t going to take this lying down.”

Esmail was cagey about the fate of Tyrell Wellick, who spent the majority of season 2 on the run. Though the actor who plays Tyrell, Martin Wallström was listed in the credits of each episode, the character didn’t actually make an appearance during the twisty second season until the penultimate episode, when things took more than a few unexpected turns.

“With Tyrell, we really don’t know much about his whereabouts or what happened to him. There’s a lot of that circular storytelling that we really delve into with his character this season.”

Mr. Robot’s first season was a huge critical success — though never much of a ratings winner — for USA, even earning Malek a surprise Emmy win for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series. The second season garnered a much cooler critical reception, with many fans feeling betrayed by the midseason reveal that Elliot had been fabricating much of the season’s events. The network is counting on the show to overcome its relative sophomore slump and return to the ranks of revered prestige television in season 3, which hits during the fall rather than the summer, like the first two seasons.